


I May Fall (But Not Like This)

by silverrstardust



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Post-Volume 3 (RWBY), Pyrrha Nikos Lives, happy ending yay, slight Pyrrha Nikos/Ruby Rose if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:53:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26230702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverrstardust/pseuds/silverrstardust
Summary: Pyrrha isn’t sure how, but somehow she’s made it off of that tower alive.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos & Ruby Rose, Qrow Branwen & Pyrrha Nikos
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	I May Fall (But Not Like This)

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh my first rwby fanfiction officially! I actually had a lot of fun with this and I hope you enjoy!

As her eyes open slowly, everything she sees is golden. Her body is weak and aura depleted, but she can feel the warmth of the sun against her skin, chasing the discomfort away. Gradually, the gold fades, but it's soft, welcoming twinkle remains. Like a flicker of hope. 

She’s in a bedroom, or a guest room as it seems. It doesn’t look familiar to her- the walls are made of wooden panels the colour of maple, black and white photographs and paintings are hanging from the walls, and a bookshelf full of stories in the corner. Beneath her head are a few bright orange pillows, and a cream coloured blanket lies across her body. 

The next thing she becomes aware of is… snoring? She looks over to her left and she sees… Jaune. Sitting in a chair, slouched forward with his head in his hand, fast asleep. Gravity is slowly taking over his body; his face keeps sliding lower and lower against his hand, causing him to drool. Pyrrha suppresses the urge to giggle at his naturally adorable nature.

It isn’t his snores that woke her up though. Nora and Ren are also there, leaning against each other on the floor on the other side of her bed. Pig-like snores escape from Nora’s mouth, and she smiles warmly at the sight. 

She lays there for a while, drinking it all in, but it’s when she tries to think back to what happened that she remembers. The smile is wiped off her face immediately and replaced with  _ horror. _ Everything comes back to her at once: the Fall Maiden, her decision, Ozpin, Cinder Fall at the top of the tower, the  _ Vytal Festival, _ and… and…

_ Penny. _

“Oh no,” She whispers, a cold wave of shock washing over her. She presses a hand to her mouth and tears swim in her eyes. The guilt starts bubbling up within, and the dam breaks. She shudders out a sob and begins to cry.

She  _ killed  _ Penny. She- She  _ killed  _ that poor girl. 

_ But it wasn’t your fault.  _ Ruby had assured her, but there were still tears in her eyes, and Pyrrha’s guilt hadn’t gone away. It still hasn’t gone away. The tears aren’t stopping. The sobs aren’t either. She can’t seem to breathe around them.

“Pyrrha? Oh my gosh, Pyrrha!” 

Jaune rushes to her side and suddenly she’s being wrapped in his arms. Her breath hitches from the surprise, but she doesn’t fight him. Instead she melts into his hold and sobs into his chest. 

“Pyrrha, please, you have to tell me what’s wrong,” Jaune begs. “Please. Are you hurting anywhere? Has anything gotten worse?”

“Jaune, stop,” Nora’s voice warns. She must’ve woken up as well. Pyrrha feels the other side of the bed sink as Nora takes a seat, and feels her small hand gently fall on her back. She feels a soothing pressure as Nora rubs her hand up and down, easing Pyrrha’s breathing and sending a calming sensation throughout her body. It even alleviates some of the soreness.

Pyrrha takes a long deep breath and lets it go, pulling herself from Jaune’s arms. His grip on her hands doesn’t release. “I’m okay, now,” she assures. She looks at Nora, and as bright green eyes meet teal like the ocean, she smiles and nods. “Thank you.” 

Nothing else needs to be said and Nora smiles in return. Her hand stays on Pyrrha’s back, and Jaune’s hands are cradling her own. She’s grateful. 

Her eyes gazed earnestly, and she bravely, yet fearfully asks, “What happened?” 

She watches as Jaune’s shoulders wilt, and her own heart sinks. “Nothing good,” He says. “It’s bad, Pyrrha.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Nora asks slowly.

Pyrrha shakes her head. “I… Cinder and I… we fought at the top of the tower. Everything was falling apart, and then she shot me and… there was this intense pain  _ everywhere _ , and Cinder-“ she choked on a sob, an image of Cinder pointing an arrow straight at her chest. She couldn’t say it, so she shook her head and skipped past it. “Then I heard… a scream. Then everything went white, and I blacked out.”

“Well you’re here now,” Jaune says, a glowing smile on his face. Pyrrha feels her heart flutter. “And you’re okay, and I’m so,  _ so  _ relieved.”

“We all are,” Ren agrees, exchanging nods with Nora.

“How?  _ How _ am I here? Where  _ is  _ here?” Pyrrha asks, staring at her frail hands.

“That, kiddo, is a good question, or, a few questions I suppose.” A new voice intervenes in the conversation. It’s gravelly, worn-down tone is familiar and distinct enough to make Pyrrha look up in surprise. 

“Qrow,” She realizes. “The man in Ozpin’s office. That night you told me-“

“I also happen to be Ruby and Yang’s Uncle,” Qrow interrupts, and he gives her this stern look that says,  _ Drop it.  _ “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too.” 

She swallows nervously, only now realizing how dry her throat feels. She clears it, and Jaune immediately dives forward to reach for the glass of water beside her and shoves it in her hands. He’s clumsy and awkward when he does but she’s just happy that he’s there. She downs it in five seconds. 

“The pleasure is all mine,” She says finally. 

Qrow scoffs. “Don’t lie to my face. It’s disrespectful.” From his shirt he pulls a flask and pops the lid, taking a long swig before speaking again. He smirks. “I thought you were supposed to be smart.”

“Just get to the point, Qrow,” Jaune says with an impatient eye roll.

“Yes, that,” Qrow agrees. “Well, I can tell you the  _ where  _ part of the question, but the  _ how  _ is a little bit harder to explain.”

Pyrrha gazes at him patiently and he sighs. “Alright,” He says. “Well, after the Fall we needed a safe place to bunker down. Just so happens the closest place to a safe haven that I could think of was Patch. An island, just off the coast of Vale. That’s the where.”

Pyrrha nods, and Qrow huffs out a laugh of amusement. “Good listener, I see. Well, then there’s the  _ how.  _ The only part I know is that you did something reckless and my niece had to go save you. I assume you saw the bright light.”

“Your… niece?” Pyrrha asks.

It’s Jaune who pipes up next. “After you… shoved me in a locker- which I’m still pissed about by the way- I called backup for you.” He looks down at her hands in his. “Ruby and Weiss answered right away. They said they were looking for us, and I told them about  _ you _ , and- I don’t know what happened after that.”

“Ruby must’ve made it up there just in time, because suddenly there was a bright light covering the entire school, the dragon was frozen, and Cinder Fall was gone,” Qrow looks at Pyrrha, mildly amused. “And you’re here, safe in bed.”

Pyrrha’s eyes widen. “I’m sorry… what?”

“You know about fairytales and legends,” Qrow says. “So, what have you heard about silver eyes?”

Pyrrha thinks deeply. She’s studied countless fairytales before, because her mother always says that every fairytale holds a bit of truth to them, and if she can discover those truths, she can use them to become stronger. But she’s never heard about something connecting to silver eyes. 

The look on her face seems to be all that Qrow needs as he leans forward. “Silver eyes… they’re an incredibly rare trait. It’s said that silver eyed people are destined to become legendary warriors, that even a single look from these warriors could strike a Grimm down. Like all other tales, it seems to be pretty ridiculous, but it’s true. The frozen Grimm on top of Beacon tower and the fact that you’re still alive is proof enough.”

“You…” Pyrrha murmurs. “You’re saying that Ruby…  _ did  _ something with her eyes to create that bright light? She’s the reason that I’m alive?”

“That about sums it up,” Qrow says. “The thing is… it’s not always easy. Especially not the first time. With the overwhelming fear and grief… that unleashed a lot of power for her first time using them, and she’s been out for weeks because of it. And who knows for how much longer.”

Pyrrha’s heart picks up. Ruby… Ruby saved her  _ life _ . She’s the reason that Pyrrha is still alive, safe and sound with her team. She’s the reason that everyone is okay. 

“Okay…” Jaune says. “What now? What do we do?”

“For now… you rest,” Qrow says, getting up from his chair. “Be with each other. You kids… got out better than most, I can tell you that. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Wait,” Pyrrha says before Qrow steps out the door. The man turns his head over his shoulder to look at her, and Pyrrha notices the red cape. The red cape that matches Ruby’s. She looks upon it warmly.  _ Ruby must love him a lot. He must be a good man, deep down. _

“Er… thank you,” She says. “Is there… any chance that we could visit Ruby? I just…”

_ I want to thank her, too. _

Qrow smiles, a smile so loving that Pyrrha could only compare it to that of a father who loves his child.  _ From the looks of it, he loves Ruby just as much.  _

“Go whenever you want,” Qrow says. “Though if you run into Tai on the way in and he’s passed out on the chair, could you give him a punch in the head for me and tell him to get some sleep already?”

“I’ll be sure to tell him something of that sentiment,” Pyrrha promises, and Qrow rolls his eyes on his way out the door. Pyrrha barely manages to catch him muttering “damn nice kids” as his footsteps fade away. 

  
  
  


Pyrrha slowly pushes open the door to Ruby’s room with a creak, and she winces at the sound. Everything is quiet, aside from a soft, steady, breathing coming from the bed, so she takes it that it’s safe to enter. 

Ruby’s room is a lot similar to the one she’s been staying in, except there’s enough room for two beds. The second one is empty, containing orange pillows as well, and Pyrrha wonders if the bed belongs to Yang. She wonders why the two sisters aren’t sleeping in the same room. 

Ruby is still unconscious, laying down flat on her back, eyes peaceful. If Pyrrha hadn’t known about the draining power that Ruby had unleashed, she would just assume that Ruby fell asleep and would wake up soon. 

The prodigy reaches out her hand and lightly touches Ruby’s shoulder. She taps into her aura, feeling how drained and exhausted it is. It’s been completely cleared out, so it’s no wonder Ruby hasn’t even stirred. Whatever aura is being regained is also being used to heal her body, strained from the battle. 

Sighing, Pyrrha pulls her hand away, and instead looks at Ruby’s face. She knows that Ruby won’t hear her, so she’ll have to repeat herself once the girl wakes up. But she doesn’t care. No matter how many times Pyrhha will say it, it won’t ever add up to equal how much she means it. 

“Thank you, Ruby.”

Pyrrha Nikos turns, and leaves the room, the red scarf tied around her waist tailing swiftly after.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave me your thoughts in the comments! Kudos are appreciated as well! Thank you! <333


End file.
